In the 20th century, civil aviation developed rapidly in the Soviet Union. The air fleet evolved from a wooden biplane to a supersonic civil aircraft. Some aircraft built by Soviet engineers are still in operation in Russia and abroad.
Il-62
The first Soviet turbojet long-range passenger aircraft was developed at the Ilyushin Design Bureau in 1960. The first flight of the Il-2 took place in January 1963. The aircraft served as the "number 1 board" for the leadership of the USSR.
Il-62 characteristics:
- Wingspan — 43.2 m
- Aircraft length — 53.12 m
- Wing sweep angle — 32.5°
- Engine — NK-8-4
- Maximum flight range — 10,000 km
- Cruising speed — up to 850 km/h
- Passenger capacity — 168 people
An-2
The Soviet light multi-purpose aircraft was developed by engineers of OKB-153 under the leadership of aircraft designer Oleg Antonov. A biplane with a braced wing (bracing — a thin cable stretched in some direction to connect parts of the structure in a certain position). The An-2 made its first flight in 1947.
An-2 characteristics:
- Upper wing span — 18.7 m
- Aircraft length — 12.4 m
- Powerplant — ASH-62IR
- Powerplant power — 1000 hp
- Cruising speed — 236 km/h
- Flight range — 990 km
- Passenger capacity — 12 people
Yak-40
The world's first three-engine turbojet short-haul passenger aircraft, developed in 1964 at the Yakovlev Design Bureau. The first flight of the Yak-40 took place in 1966. The aircraft replaced the obsolete Il-12, Il-14.
Yak-40 characteristics:
- Length — 20.36 m
- Wingspan — 25 m
- Maximum take-off weight — 17,200 kg
- Powerplant — TRDD AI-25
- Auxiliary power unit — AI-9 GTD
- Cruising speed — 510 km/h
- Flight range with load — 820 km
- Passenger capacity — up to 40 people
Tu-204
The Soviet medium-range narrow-body passenger aircraft, developed at the Tupolev Design Bureau to replace the Tu-154. The first flight of the Tu-204 took place in 1989. Modifications of the aircraft are produced at factories in Ulyanovsk and Kazan.
Tu-204 characteristics:
- Length — 46.14 m
- Wingspan — 41.8 m
- Maximum take-off weight — 88,000 kg
- Cruising speed — up to 850 km/h
- Engine — PS-90A
- Passenger capacity — up to 210 people
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